An accessibility statement is a page on your site where you say what standard you aim for, what you know is not yet accessible, and how people can contact you if they run into a problem. It is required in some places and expected in many.
Why publish one
- It is required for UK public sector websites and many other government and educational sites worldwide.
- It is checked in every Expert Manual Review as a best practice item.
- It shows good faith. A site with a clear, honest statement is in a very different position from one with nothing, even if both have the same score.
- It gives people with disabilities a way to tell you when something does not work for them, which is the fastest way to learn about problems your scans did not catch.
What to include
- Which standard you are working towards, such as WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Your current conformance status, such as Partially Conformant, and what that means.
- Known issues you are aware of and have not yet fixed, with expected timelines where you have them.
- How to contact you if something is not working.
- When the statement was last reviewed.
Keep it honest
A statement claiming full conformance on a site that clearly fails basic checks does more harm than good. A statement that says "we are working towards WCAG 2.1 AA and have known issues in these areas" is honest, shows effort, and is far better than silence.
Link to your Expert-Verified result
Once you have a score, include the public link to your verified result on the statement page. It is far more credible than a self-assessment.